Plants Harnessed To Be Solar Source

Plants Harnessed To Be Solar Source Tuesday, February 7th 2012 5:02 PM By GetSolar Staff. A combination of biology and electronics has led to progress in the efforts to make low-cost solar cells from plants. A recently published paper in Scientific Reports described an improved method for making biophotovoltaics that produce electricity without complicated laboratory equipment that was previously needed. The researchers announced that custom-designed chemicals can mix with green plants, including grass clippings, to create a photovoltaic material by harnessing photosynthesis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher and one of the study's co-authors, Andreas Mershin, said that those interested in lowering the cost of their energy bill and switching to solar water heating might be able to take the bag of chemicals, mix it with plant material and simply paint it on t...